ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will hear the Federation’s intra-court appeal (ICA) against its judgment declaring the amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 2002, as illegal, from May 14 (Tuesday).

A five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Aminud Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi will hear the appeal.

The bench will hear the appeals after six months. It, on October 31, had barred the Accountability Courts from announcing the final verdict in corruption cases reopened following the judgment declaring amendments made to the NAO, null and void.

The order said; “The concerned courts (Accountability) may proceed with the trial but will not announce the final judgment.” However, the Court declined Farooq H Naek, who represented three private persons, to suspend the SC judgment on the NAB amendments.

The bench issued notices to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman. The SC office was directed to provide the copies of appeals and order (31st October) to Imran Khan in jail.

The notices were also issued to the attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) and the advocates general of all the provinces and Islamabad. The case was adjourned until the detailed judgment is announced by the majority of the three-judge bench.

“Therefore, it would be appropriate to fix these appeals after the release of the detailed reasons in the said cases. However, to save time let notices be issued to the respondents. Since the interpretation of the Constitution, Federal laws and as trials which the Amendments had referred to courts in the provinces and to the ordinary courts in the Islamabad Capital Territory, which has been reversed by the impugned judgment, notices to the Attorney-General for Pakistan and the Advocate-Generals of all the provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory be also issued under Order XXVII-A of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908,” the court order said.

A three-judge bench, headed by former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah on September 15 by a majority of 2:1 declared the amendments null and void and ordered the reopening of all corruption cases worth less than Rs500 million that were previously closed against political leaders from various parties and public office holders.

The Court had directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to return all case records to the relevant courts within seven days. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah had dissented the majority judgement.

The federal government through Makhdoom Ali Khan challenged the majority order.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024